Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-03-18
MONACO AND MONTE CARLO.
An Interesting Conversation on the Sub
ject of Gambling.
FLORENCE, Italy, February II, 1857.

FLORENCE, Italy, February II, 1887.
Correspondence of the Free Press1
Mr. Editor My first letter from Paris
and my second from Genoa you have
doubtless received. In the former spoke
of our voyage to Havre, France, on the
splendid steamship, LA Champagne" of
the French line, and in the latter of that
peculiar strip OF country called The
Riviera" which fringes the Mediterra-
mean with it's numerous promontories,
from Marseilles in France to Leghorn in
Italy. About the middle of this is Mona
co which includes the compact centres of
La Condamine Cor harbor) Monte Carlo
about half a mile square,, and Les
Mouleries (or Mills. Monaco is a princ-
pality, comprising only three and one half
square miles The city limits of Burling-
ton include about II square miles, yet
such is the tenacity with which land
boundaries are held in Europe that Mo
naco has been independent" for the past
9l9 years. Charles Ill, of the ancient
family of the Grimaldi is now "The
Prince" of this minute realm.
Cpto 1850 the resources of Monaco were
so slender that only vines and oranges and
lemons yielded any support from gardens,
and little wiry erase fed few goats, 50
that the population numbered scarcely
1900. In that year the Prince gave 30
years lease of part of his dominion
about half a mile square, to French
company, headed by man named Fran
co.'s Blame with permission TO erect
thereon gambling house, called "The
Casino"
One evening as we were sitting on the
marble piazza of our Hotel Anglais"
the following dialogue took place among
the guests of the hotel among whom we
We're. None of us knew the names of the
speakers, but they were youth, retired
banker, professor and lady.
AS the conversation conveyed a good
deal of information to me, report it. The
youth, half whispering, addressed the
banker with these words Uncle, | have
lost 20 franc to-day at the casino what
will my father say '' The old gentleman
regarded his nephew in silence a moment
and then replied, well, my boy, he will
probably reduce your allowance and say
you are as foolish as all boys are But,
for my part, think that if this experience
will burn your fingers for you enough to
cure you of play, you will get off cheaply.
When was young lost $50 sterling
$500, but that cured me. Why the Prince
of Menace won't allow one of his subjects
chimed in the professor, who sat near, cit
is just so. The prince knows the evil too
well TO expose his subjects to ii, though
he is quite willing that the subjects of
all other governments should be teeced
for the benefit of his company, or through
them for his own income. The very
highest type of our wealthy, cultured,
Christian society now throng the ~ SUI
perb new hotels of Monte Carlo They
are representative people from all the
nations of Europe and America. | great
ly wondec that so many of them engage
In "A vice'so absorbing and so wicked as
gambling" "Oh,' exclaimed the banker,
ALLOW me to explain. The Casino com
pany devote every energy to enable peo-
pie who come here to have a good time,
irrespective of gaming. They keep the
play rooms in the background. But Just
consider what they have done here on this
spot, so lately barren and deSolate. Look
at that casino superb in his lofty towers
chaste and beautiful in its cream colored
stone; "A perfect gem of lavish display in
its arches, and pillars, and windows, and
doors, and its plnnacles and domes, and
cups and finals. 1t is is embossed with
Nenuses and cupds, and enriched with
flowers Its pillars and walls are festoon
ed with pendent wreaths, all carved out
of that same exquisite stone. The vast
gardens which set of the building are
vivid with the deep green OF date palms,
cactus plants, cocoa palms, climbing roses,
eucalyptus and climbing vines The
walks that intersect the gardens, and
even the streets of the whole town, are all
of cut stone laid in concrete mortar. No
possibility exists in any of them, that
they should ever be numbered with weeds,
mud, sand or dirt Where can all this be
surpassed - Our friend became quite
animated rs he went on. Now" he
continued, every visitor to every hotel in
Monte Carlo is warmly welcomed to the
Use of all this, free of charge He may
walk and run If he likes, anywhere, over
all these acres of superb apd costly
grounds lie may enjoy the matchless
views of the Mediterranean, aud of the
lofty Alps that rise straight up behind the
town, and admire the contrast of the
creamy tint OF the casino with the deep